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LIFE

LIFE: Life Worth Living – Caring for Our Educators and Principals

LIFE aims to increase the well-being of educators and principals by increasing their sense of meaning in life through the innovative “Life Worth Living” approach.

Grant Agreement Number:

Funded by: Erasmus+      Duration: 01/02/2023-31/03/2025


Challenge

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions have endured significant strain, with educators, principals, and students exhibiting remarkable resilience amidst the ongoing challenges of unpredictable schooling, disrupted routines, and feelings of isolation. This extraordinary experience has caused both resilience and trauma among those involved. Educators, in particular, face heightened pressures as they strive to establish a sense of normalcy for their students while also managing their personal lives and familial responsibilities.

Innovation

LIFE aims to make a positive impact on the students whom educators and principals engage with, thereby influencing the overall school culture and fostering an improved environment for both work and learning. For the first time in Europe, the LIFE project brings the “Life Worth Living” approach that started from YALE University to school educators. Local trainers (facilitators) will be trained in the “Life Worth Living” approach to facilitate in-person retreats in each partner country and support the development of learning modules, virtual workshops, and train-the-trainers manual.

Action

The main goal is to train a total of 10 facilitators (two from each country) in the content, approach, and relational pedagogy of Life Worth Living. This comprehensive training will equip them to effectively plan and lead two in-country training retreats for teachers and principals in their respective languages, as well as the final international retreat. The facilitators will also play a crucial role in continuing capacity-building efforts for teachers and principals, and in expanding LIFE communities within their countries. This will contribute to enhancing well-being within the education profession and bringing about positive changes in schools and students through cultural and pedagogical transformations. Each partner organization will utilize a Facilitators’ Manual for future training sessions, which will be accessible on the LIFE project’s digital platform.

The training retreats aim to provide teachers and principals from partner countries with an inclusive space where they can come together, form a learning community, and engage in meaningful reflections about their lives and work. The primary objective of this project is to enhance the well-being of educators and principals. By positively impacting these individuals, Life Worth Living will have a ripple effect on students and other staff members, ultimately fostering a better school culture and creating an improved environment for work and learning. The training retreats will incorporate multiple goals, including active engagement with the material, fostering national and international learning communities based on relationships, and utilising interactive pedagogical techniques such as partner text study, gallery walks, and silent conversations. Additionally, the retreats will focus on developing essential skills for effective communication and connection across diverse backgrounds, emphasising empathy, active listening, and cultural competencies.

The digital platform will cover the development of an online learning community; learning modules supporting the learning and relationship development between in-person retreats; a place to access all the learning material and facilitator manual and virtual workshops. The digital learning platform allows those being trained as facilitators to access all learning materials and continue their training using digital means (facilitator manual). This engaging digital learning platform will encourage the continuation of the LIFE learning, community building, reflection, and the opportunity to learn both in synchronous and asynchronous ways.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. 

Project Partners

Organization Logo_KMOP Edu Hub
KMOP Education and Innovation Hub, Greece
NORTH Consulting, Iceland
University of Iceland
DJAPO, Belgium
NMS Yonko, Belgium
CSC Danilo Dolci, Italy
Blue Room Innovation-BRI, Spain

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